A couple is currently renting out their one-bedroom loft out while they’re out of the city. They want to purchase a new home for their growing family, but they cannot finance the new house until they sell their condo in DC. However, the tenant is refusing to leave the condo, which is allowed under the current TOPA law, leaving the couple stranded. The couple has offered to pay for the tenant’s move to a new, identical condo in the same community, but the tenant won’t leave.

A family was under contract to purchase a home in Brookland on a short sale. The short sale was approved and the tenant moved out of the house, but she refused to assign her TOPA rights without compensation. The sellers couldn’t pay, and the buyers were already maxed out on their purchasing budget, leaving the tenant with total control. The deal ended up voiding, creating problems for both the prospective buyers and sellers.

An individual was attempting to sell their home, where they had allowed a friend to stay on occasion. There was no lease, no money was exchanged — it was simply a favor granted by the owner to a friend. When the friend learned they had TOPA rights, they claimed they had interest in purchasing the home, derailing the sale the owner had arranged. The owner eventually paid the friend thousands of dollars to give up their TOPA rights in order to sell the house, but by then, the original buyer had walked away from the deal. The owner lost thousands of dollars, not only by buying the TOPA rights, but in mortgage payments on an unoccupied house.

An individual was attempting to sell their home. A former tenant, who had already moved out and purchased a home of their own, was given notice of TOPA rights. Despite the former tenant having no interest in making a purchase, the seller had to wait out the entire timeframe, costing them two months of mortgage payments.